The dimly lit hospital wing was silent when Harry opened his eyes, knowing immediately where he was from the familiar feel of the thin mattress under him and the smell that was unique to the place. Quickly checking the smooth walls in his mind for any breeches, the painful throbbing in his head told him that he’d had a particularly vicious episode. He figured Voldemort was probably a bit angry at the loss of his prisoners. He opening his eyes slowly, the blurry form of his godfather came into view beside him.

“Welcome back, Harry,” Remus told him as he handed him his glasses.

“As much as I hate portkeys, Remus, I really would rather be conscious when I land,” Harry rubbed his forehead.

“You have been out of it for a couple hours, son, which Severus feels is due to that sadistic bastard’s rage over the death of that bloody snake of his, more than anything else.”

Reaching towards the table beside the bed, Remus grabbed a vial of familiar blue potion and handed it to Harry, who downed it thankfully.

“Is everyone okay, Remus? What happened to the imposters, and the students we pulled out of the cells?

Remus took the empty vial from him, and let his fingers play with it. “Professor Sinistra and four of the students will be fine, they are thin and suffering from the effects of long term exposure to the Imperious Curse, but should recover. One of the young Hufflepuffs was dead when we got him back, and one of the Ravenclaw boys died just after he arrived here. Somehow, Bellatrix and Malfoy escaped or were already gone when the DA went up to get them, but the others were taken into custody without a fight, and the Aurors have taken them back to the Ministry.”

Harry nodded, saddened by the loss of two innocent students. “What next, Remus? Hogwarts doesn’t even seem to be safe anymore.”

“I don’t know, Harry, I don’t know, but right now you need to go back to sleep, as you have a couple more hours before you have to get up for class. I’ll be right here if you need me.”

Harry’s eyes closed, and if he didn’t know better, he’d think the Potions Master had slipped a sleeping draught into his special potion.

It was almost breakfast time when Harry awoke next, and true to his word, Remus was still sitting by his bed. He handed Harry his school clothes and pointed him into the showers. At the far end of the ward, Harry could see that there were several beds screened off, and he figured that was where the injured students were. Cleaning up and dressing quickly, Harry walked with his godfather down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Breakfast turned out to be a subdued meal, with whispered word of the death of two students spreading like wildfire through the tables. Several Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff girls ran out of the Hall in tears, as Harry seated himself between Hermione and Ginny at the Gryffindor table. Around him, Harry could see the tired faces of DA members picking at their scrambled eggs, and he tried to smile at them, taking Ginny’s hand under the table as she leaned into his side. If it had not been for their actions, the other captive students would have died as well. Glancing at the Head Table, he could see Remus lean down to say something to the Headmaster, whose blue eyes seemed to have lost their twinkle as he nodded to Harry. Even Snape looked out of sorts, Harry thought.

Classes had been canceled for the day. As they were getting ready to leave, Professor Snape appeared behind him, and laid a warm hand on Harry’s shoulder.

“Nice to see you out of bed, Mister Potter,” he lowered his voice, “the DA needs to meet upstairs right after breakfast, would you make sure they all know?”

At Harry’s nod, he swept down the table and out the door in a swirl of robes. Getting busy, the four of them fanned out through the tables. Word spread quickly, and everyone was at the door to the Room of Requirement several minutes later. Looking around, Harry opened the door and led the way in, tugging Ginny with him. With Ron and Hermione directly behind them, they stepped in to see that the room had been set up like a lecture hall, with rows of seats facing the front. Remus, Snape, and the Headmaster were already there, seated behind a large table that faced the room, a single chair set in front of it. Sliding in to the first row of seats and moving all the way down to the right side, Harry returned the smile Remus sent him, as the Headmaster looked up.

“Harry, my boy, how are you feeling?”

“I’m fine sir, thank you.”

“Good, good.” The older man’s attention was taken as the Potions Master leaned in and said something to him.

Looking around the room as it filled, Harry could see that everyone but Michael Corner was there. The door opened again, and the room went quiet as the tall figure of Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped in, allowing Tonks and an older witch to enter. Frowning, Harry tried to remember where he’d seen the woman before, remembering as he saw the monocle hanging down the front of her dark blue robes.

Leaning towards Hermione on his left, he whispered, “that’s Madame Bones, I remember her from my hearing last summer.”

“She’s head of Magical Law Enforcement for the Ministry” Ron added from Hermione’s other side.

“Good morning,” Albus Dumbledore stood before them, his lavender robes trimmed in silver “this morning we will be speaking to each of you about last nights events. “Before we start, however, I want to tell you how proud I am of each of you and the roll you played in getting the missing student and Professor Sinistra home. I would also like to add how proud I am that we removed nearly all of the imposters.”

Turning to his right, he extended his hand towards the Ministry witch.

“This is Madame Amelia Bones, head of Magical Law Enforcement for the Ministry of Magic; she is conducting an investigation into the deaths of two of our students. I expect you to answer all of her questions to the best of your ability. Please come forward when your name is called.”

Harry sat quietly for the next hour as each student was called up in turn, until finally Ron was called, and he was alone. Trying his best not to get nervous, he swallowed past the lump in his throat and tried to lick suddenly dry lips. Remus materialized at his side with a goblet of water, amazing Harry once again with his perception. He drank thirstily before smiling up at his guardian.

“Thanks, Remus,” he said, handing back the goblet.

“Harry.”

He stood as the Headmaster called him, walking up to the chair the other students had sat in for their testimony. Across from him were Madame Bones flanked by the two Aurors, both of whom smiled at Harry. Rolls of parchment, quills and ink bottles littered the surface of the table, and Professor Snape stood to one side, assisting when needed.

“Mister Potter,” Madame Bones boomed out, her monocle screwed into to her cheek, “a pleasure to see you again!”

“Yes, ma’am,” Harry said nervously as he sat down.

“No need to be nervous, boy, just tell us what happened, starting with how you were about to figure out that one of your classmates was an imposter.”

Taking a deep breath, Harry started from the conversation with Professor Snape about Michael Corner, and told them everything, with the exception of having an invisibility cloak. He explained the Marauders Map and how it worked, the encounter with the fake Hufflepuff in the Great Hall, and the role the DA would play. Finally, he told her what happened when they had arrived at the Riddle Manor, how they found the students, and Voldemort’s arrival. It had taken half an hour to retell the events, and Harry felt exhausted.

“You are sure this is exactly how this all transpired, Mister Potter?”

Harry brought his eyes up to meet those of the Ministry witch, knowing that Tonks had said she was impartial and fair, and gave her the benefit of the doubt.

“I would be willing to take Veritaserum, Madame Bones, if you would like.”

She met his eyes unflinching, and slowly smiled. “I don’t think that will be necessary, Harry, you may go, and thank you.”

Harry nodded and started to stand when his scar gave a searing throb. With a groan, he grabbed the back of the chair and tried to keep going, not really wanting his weakness witnessed by a Ministry official. Another throb and he staggered, only to be caught by hands on each side of him, and he felt himself lifted. A vial was pressed against his lips, and Harry drank, leaning against the hands that held him. The pain receded, and Harry was able to open his eyes, seeing that he had been ushered to just outside the door of the Room of Requirement. Remus stood beside him, as did Professor Snape, and Harry looked up at them pleadingly.

“I have to find a way to stop this pain. How can I fight him if all he has to do is throw a temper tantrum and I’m on the ground, throwing up?”

Reaching out, Harry grasped Snape’s wrist, “Professor, is there something we haven’t done, or something we haven’t tried, that would help?”

“Calm down, Harry,” Snape turned them away from the door. “Remus and I will discuss it and talk to you later this evening.”

Remus who nodded, hands still resting on Harry’s shoulders, kept his voice low as well. With a gesture of his hands, he indicated Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, who stood uncertainly next to the tapestry of Barnabas.

“Go on, Harry, get some snacks and take the others on a picnic in the courtyard or the Astronomy Tower. You are sixteen, son, and need to have time to just be a teenager, alright.”

Nodding, Harry moved to join the others and slipped his arm around Ginny’s shoulder. “Remus says we can go have a picnic in the courtyard, how about it?”

Hermione’s eyes lit up, and taking Ron’s hand, they moved by unspoken agreement towards the Gryffindor Tower to get ready. Harry tried to push the fears that he had to the back of his mind, knowing that he could not solve the problems that he faced in the next few hours. He knew that Remus was right, that they all needed a bit of a break after last night, but he was also realistic enough to know that there had to be a way to deaden the pain he felt in his scar, so that it did not incapacitate him every time Voldemort was angry or near him. There had to be a way.

Ginny tugged at his hand and Harry saw that they had fallen behind the other two. Stepping into a dark alcove, he pulled Ginny to him. Brushing her hair back, he took in the sweet smile she gave him, just before claiming her lips in a kiss.